Student as Producer: Using Research-Engaged Teaching to Enhance the Learning Experience of Biomechanics Students

Abstract

With the changing landscape of the higher education system in the United Kingdom, ways in which programme teams respond to develop the curriculum, meeting the shifting demands of the student, has becomes a challenge for all those involved in teaching. Higher education should capture the interest of students and inspire them to learn, by relating the content to novel research as well as to the students’ life. Lecturers should expose students to different teaching methods optimising both their understanding and their ability to apply this knowledge to different scenarios. Consequently, lecturers need to continuingly develop new ways of teaching, aiding and inspiring learning to take place. Students should have the capacity to process, apply, and critique the information given to them and then create meaning as to validity, reliability, and general usefulness of the information provided. Students should not however simply be a passive receiver of evidence but have the intellectual and practical skills to generate and create meaning from different sources of data. They should then be able to communicate these findings to different audiences through the use of different media. This helps develop intrinsic motivation and can demonstrate that deep learning has occurred. The Student as Producer (SAP) model of learning develops students through collaborative work and relates well to this philosophy. This case student demonstrates how this model of learning has been applied to enhance the learning experience of students on a Sport and Exercise Science undergraduate degree at Aberystwyth University. The aim was to develop the depth of student understanding whilst also improving the students’ ability to apply the knowledge to “real world” situations; development of important work-related skills and experience was also targeted.